


New to the town

by notkewlio



Category: Homestuck
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-28
Updated: 2013-10-20
Packaged: 2017-12-16 11:53:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/861701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notkewlio/pseuds/notkewlio
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eridan moves from the city to a neighborhood and meets a new group of strange people. But after he realizes Sollux wont show his eyes, he becomes increasingly interested.<br/>EDIT: Im very sorry but as of 6/14/14 i dont think ill be continuing this... I havent updated in a while and i dont plan on it, so many apologies. But you can be sure ill write other things!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> alright  
> so this is my attempt at erisol. More chapters soon to come uwu

Your name is eridan ampora and you are hopelessly lost.

You have wandered around this godforsaken town for what seemed like eternity, and you still couldnt find your house. Being new to the neighborhood, you felt like you have an exuse, but still. Lips pulling into an uncharacteristic frown, you run a hand through your hair in frustration. The slip of crumpled paper in your hand said 818 Alternia street, but the house in front of you said 315 Alice Lane. You stop and  stare at the cream colored house for a minute, thinking. it shouldnt be this hard for you to find your house. After a few moments, you readjust your thick framed glasses and cross your arms. You _will_ find your house before night time. Sigh. This is going to take a while.

Just as your about to stop staring at that house and go find your own, the front door opens and three people stumble out. The two on the outside- a boy and girl- seem to be helping the one in the middle -a boy- stand. The boy has his head down and a leather jacket on. You stop, wondering what was happening. The short boy on the left had shockingly white hair and is practically shouting curses at the boy in the middle. The tall girl on the right has really dark golden skin, and is calmly talking to him.

You suddenly get an idea. You’ll ask them for some help finding your house.

You watch in slight amusement as they stumble down the stairs, the boy in the middle a dead weight.

"Come _on_ , Sollux! For fucks sake! We cant help you if you wont even fricken stand!" The shorter boy shouts. The boy in the middle- Sollux, apparently- grunts and looks like hes attempting to stand. As you walk closer, you hear the dark skinned girl calmly muttering encouragement. Sollux’s arms are thrown across the others shoulders, and they have their arms around his torso. You wonder whats wrong, he looks deathly pale.

"Uh," you say smartly. The tall woman glances up and studies you, continuing to help Sollux down the stairs.

"May we help you?" She asks, each word carefully pronounced. The light haired boy looks up and mutters something about how he doesnt need two fucking idiots he needs to help. The trio stands at the base of the stairs now.

"Well, actually, yeah. I, uh…" You clear your throat. “I cant seem to find my house." You say. “I jus’ moved to the neighborhood, and i only been to my house a few times, and now im friggin lost." You suddenly find the ground very interesting, and you fasten your gaze there. Sometimes you really hated talking to people. And by sometimes you mean all the time.

"That is okay, I understand. What is your address?" She asks kindly. You quickly hand her the piece of paper with the house number scrawled on it. After studying it, she hands it back to you. “You must be Eridan. Moving in to the house just around the corner? I have seen the moving trucks, and was curious." Just around the corner? Just around the freakin corner? You frown again. “Sollux lives right by your house. Would you like to accompany us while we take him home?"

You nod briskly. “Yeah, thanks so much. The numbers in this town confuse me, they’re way different than where i lived before." You trail off, grateful for the girls patience. The group begins to move again, starting ahead of you.

"I am Kanaya," She says, and you catch up to walk beside them. “This is Sollux," she nods her head towards the boy closes to her. “And that is Karkat." By process of elimination, you know the one farthest from you is Karkat. At the sound of his name, Sollux looks up, and you see he is wearing glasses. One lense is bright blue and the other cherry red. You cant see his eyes, so you dont know where he is looking. Strange. He bites his lip and slightly lowers his head again, but he stands just a little bit taller. You take note of this, but shift your gaze to Karkat.

"I can introduce myself, Kanaya." Karkat glares at you. “Stop staring at me, you douche, havent you seen an albino before? Were not fuckin mythical creatures, you know." You once again cast your glance to the ground.

"Yeah, i seen an albino before. An’ i wasnt starin, you dont got to be rude." He scoffs but doesnt reply. You had always studied people, you thought they were interesting. Thousands upon thousands of people, each one different. You liked to know what little habits they had, how they acted to different people, how their body language differed, and so on. You usually sat at the back of the room and just payed attention to the little things people did. Most people thought that was creepy. And thats mainly why you didnt like talking to people.

"Do you know anyone in the town, Eridan?" It seemed Kanaya put up with karkats snarky remarks often, as she was unbothered.

"Yeah, my cousin Feferi lives somewhere aroun’ here. Shes partly the reason i moved." You say, and you run your hand through your hair again.

"Cousins with Feferi?" She smiles. “Yes, i can see it now. You both have the same face." A small smile forms on your lips.

A comfortable silence falls over the group as you walk down the street. You look around and take in the neighborhood. Its simple, with lots of trees. The houses look similar to one another, with slight variations, like things in the front yard or a porch. Very dull, you think.

"Sollux’s house is that one," Kanaya says, and points with her free hand. You find yourself staring at a pale yellow house with a white door. Glancing at Sollux, you see that he is holding himself up just fine now. His head is up but half of his face is hidden by the lapels of his jacket. “Karkat, can you please help Sollux into his house?" She carefully removes her arm from Sollux’s torso.

"Suuuuurreee, why the fuck not?" He growls. Nontheless, he continues up the drive and into the house, slamming the door behind him. You wonder what crawled up his ass and died.

"Sorry about Karkat, he kind of hates everyone in general." Kanaya explains, and starts down the sidewalk again. You had tucked the peice of paper with your address on it into your pants pocket, now you take it out and read the number. _818 alternia Street_. Well, you were on Alternia, and Sollux’s house number was 800. Youre a lot closer to home than you were ten minutes ago.

You study Kanaya out of the corner of your eye, noting her high poise and grace. Shes about the same height as you. Her skin is a deep gold, her hair a dark ebony, and her eyes a green color. Shes dressed quite sensibly, in a teal shirt with tiny gems around her collar, white jeans set off by her black flats.

"Uh, Kanaya? Whats that spot on your pants?" At her knees were small, dark red splotches that looked to much like blood for your taste.

"Oh." For once, she seems short of words. “That. It is nothing, just a mess from something i did earlier." She pauses and gestures behind you. “Well, welcome to the neighborhood, Eridan. I hope you enjoy it here."

"Well, er, thanks, Kan." Damn, you really hated talking to people. People made you nervous. You both walked up to your house, a light blue one, at the end of the street. “I apprectiate it."

"No problem! Do you have your keys, Eridan?" Your confused as to why, but you pull your house keys out of your pocket. “Let me show you something." She takes the keys and walks up to your door. She puts the key in and twists the knob. A loud squeak follows the upward pull when Kanaya opens your door.

"Um, what did you just do?" You say as she hands you back the keys.

"That door gets stuck easily, and the best way to open is to twist the knob and pull upward when you open it." She smiles.

"Oh," you say. “Thanks then." You life a hand to wave to her as she walks back to the street, then quickly walk inside and shut the door. Sagging against the frame, you take a deep breath. The tightness in your chest angers you. You _really_ needed to get over the fact you can not talk to people. Youre living in a new neighborhood. With other people. Which you need to talk to. And from the people you’ve already met, it looks like theyre a pretty exentric bunch. You stand and pull your slim phone from your pocket. As the phone is dialing, you walk around your living room, a spacious area with many windows. You manuver around the boxes of your things to sit down on a couch tucked into the corner of the room.

"Hi, Eridan!" A cheery voice greets you as you flop onto the couch.

"Hey, Feferi. Im at my house."

"See, i told you that you wouldnt get lost."

"Well, actually, I did." You snort. “I had to ask for help." The weight starts to lift from your chest as you talk to your cousin.

"Ooooohh!! Who did you ask? Was it anyone i knew?" You stare blankly at a cardboard box labeled “Bedroom" in thick black marker.

"I dunno, Fef. Lets see, what were their names…" The pause is just to stall. Youve always had amlost perfect memory ever scince you were about six. And Feferi knows it too.

"Oh my glub, Eridan. Just tell me their names! I know you know. I wanna know if i know them!" She laughs. Smirking at the use of “Oh my glub" you suck a breath in between your teeth.

"I dunno, Fef, that info is highly confidential. Yah know, maybe i cant discuss this over the phone kinda confidentiality." You take off your thick framed glasses and put them, folded up, on the arm of the couch and run a hand over your face.

"Are you saying i can come over?!?" Feferi practically shouts in your ear. You hadnt acually let her come to your new house yet.

"Yes, Fef, im sayin you can come over." You can feel your cheeks dimple at your cousins excitement.

"Ohhhh!!! Eridan!! Are you saying i can help you sort your boxes too?"

"Well, maybe." You dont like people touching your things. Nope. Not happenin.

"Maybe?! Oh, come on, Eridan! Puh-leeease?"

"Only if your good." You smirk. “Just come over, you know which house it is."


	2. Chapter 2

Feferi was over in less than ten minutes.

She lives about 20 minutes away but she drives like a mad woman. If you had to choose, you would prefer walking to her bat shit crazy driving. You actually havent ridden with her at the steering wheel since you were about 18 years old. That was 4 years ago, and you are just fine with that fact.

"Hello Eridan!" She says, pulling you into a tight embrace.

"Hello, Fef. How are you?" You ask, and she steps inside, nodding, her long wavy auburn hair shaking.

"Im doing just great. How about you? Looks like you got a good place here, Eridan. Good lighting." You just kind of stand there and watch her ramble about things in your house for about 10 minutes before she stops, spins around and practically shouts: “WAIT! Who did you ask for help?!"

You smile, then put your glasses back on. “Well there was this wonderful indian woman named Kanaya, a shorty albino named Karkat, and a weird guy named Sollux."

"Oh!! Them? Theyre great people! What did you guys talk about? And did Kanaya show you how to unlock the door? And im sure Karkat was just as pleasant as ever, and as for Sollux," She giggled, “I dont see him often enough. What did you think? What did you notice about them? " You smile again at Feferi’s little questioning spree, then answer the questions.

"Well, we just had some small talk goin’, and yes, Kan showed me how to open the door. Yeah, Karkat was just so.. _pleasant_ … and Sollux was strange. I thought they were okay, and what do you mean, what did i notice?" You sigh and sit down on the couch, pulling the box labeled “Living room" toward you.

"Oh come on, you know what i mean. What do you think of them, from what you noticed?" She smiles and sits on the floor beside you, pulling her hair out of her face.

You pause, she doesnt really ask you about that. She knows you are more watchful than most, but doesnt talk about it much. You shrug, then open the box. “Well Kan seems like shes really intelligent, but I dont think english is her first language." You take out a stack of books and set them aside. “Karkat seems like somebody jus’ walked off the street then kicked him in the nuts, like hes got a grudge against everyone. Dun’ like him very much. And as for Sollux," you stop, hand enclosed around a small lamp, “Well, i couldn’ really read him. He was deathly pale, and stumbling, but when he saw me, he kinda tried a bit harder to stand. I dont get it." You stand and plug the lamp in, then set it on the ground. “Also he was wearin’ those ridiculous glasses a his, blue and red. Thick enough i couldn’ see his eyes."

Feferi pauses at the mention of Sollux’s eyes, but continues to help you with the boxes. “Well, your completly right about Kanaya! She moved from india when she was about 8, and actually, english is her…" she paused to think about something. Her short fingers played with a necklace. You lean just a bit over to get a better view of the necklace, and you realize its the one you gave her for her 16th birthday. Its a tiny peice of red coral, tied onto a black string. You hadnt realized she still had it. “Oh! Its her fourth language!" She snaps her fingers and smiles. “She learned to speak hindi first, then spanish and then french before she learned english. Isnt that facinating?!" Feferi giggles again, then continues. “I dont know which dialect she learned from india, but its something along those lines."

"Well, thats actually pretty neat, Fef." You say with a slight smile, leaning back on the couch.

"And as for Mr. Grumpy pants Karkat, I think hes alright. Just have to get to know him first okay, Eridan? _Try_ to be nice to him." You nod. You make your hands busy by flipping through one of the books stacked besides you.

"Yeah, yeah, Fef. And what about Sollux?" The book in your hands is called _The Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy_ , which you havent read since freshman year in highschool. You havent had the heart to throw the series away. These books needed your love.

"My, my, my, Eridan! Someones in a rush to know so much about Sollux!" She turns and looks at you, wiggling her eyebrows.

"Oh my- are you for real Feferi?!" But you cant stop the flush from easily spreading across your cheeks.

"OHH!! I knew it! I knew you would be into him." Feferi laughs. You would like to slap someone right now, oh, who could it be?

"No, Fef, im not int’a him! I barely know him, for petes sake! And i cant _belive_ your still raggin’ on me. Ever since i tol’ you i might be into guys more than girls, you havent let it go! I mean, i dont ask you about every person you pass, do i?" You try to calm down, but its true. Every guy you meet, Feferi asks you about. And maybe- just _maybe_ \- you could be slightly sensitive to that certain topic.

"Thats because you cant ask me about _everyone_." She giggles, obviously amused by your reaction.

"Well thats because your inta guys and girls!" You say.

" ‘I think of my self as a free-wheeling bisexual.’ " She said, quoting one of your favorite book series.

"Oh, dont you _even_ dare to use classic literature against me." You frown. How _dare_ she, using your precious books against you. “Not. Cool." You growl, but you try to relax. “Look, all im sayin is that you need to back off sometimes, okay? Im gettin tired of it."

"Okay, Im sorry, Eridan. I didnt mean to make you so mad!" She giggles. Damn her. Damn her and her fucking contagious positive attitude. You fight back a smile as you take the box labeled “Kitchen" into the correct room.

"W-whatever," You say, but you can feel the slight stutter you thought you had gotten rid of accompany the word. “Hey Fef, can you help me sort out these dishes?"

~~~

Its three hours later when you finish sorting all the boxes. You are currently flopped on your bed -with fresh sheets on it- and you are goddamn _tired_. Feferi is sitting in a chair that is stationed beside the window, curled up, with her knees pulled to her chest.

"Hey, you know what we should do, Eridan?" She says softly.

"Mm?" You say, with out moving.

"We should have people come over and see your house!" You can hear her shifting, probably putting her feet on the floor. “Just invite a few people for like, a house warming party."

"Hnnnnnngggg, Fef… but… people… you know how i am with people." You roll your eyes and pull yourself up.

"Yes, i do, but-"

"No, Feferi."

"Well this could be the time to-"

"NO, Feferi."

"Please?!" She pleads and god shes making that face. That fucking face also got her 40 bucks of band merch, a trip to six flags, tickets to an expensive concert, a puppy (which you sent back to the shelter about a week later) and you baby sitting about 10 kids from a pre-school she used to help at. All this you did, of course.

"Oh god Fef! Your making that face! The faaaaace…." That is so unfair. That _damn face_!

"I have no idea what your talking about. This is my face!" She crosses her arms, but she can see she’s already won. You dont say anything as she walks over to you and sits besides you on the bed. She leans against your shoulder, her wavy hair tickling your face. “So is it okay? They wont stay for long, just say hello then leave." You give the slightest nods, but are quick to follow it.

"They all need to be out of my house by seven." Or sooner.

"Oh my glub! You wont regret this, i promise!" She kisses your cheek, then bounds out of the room.

Sighing, you slowly make your way out, heading toward the bathroom. You need to look good for the people, you think, running a hand through your hair. You push the door to the bathroom open and walk up to the mirror. Youve always hated looking in the dreaded mirror. It reminded you of all the things you didnt like about yourself. Your crazy looking blue eyes. Your freckles. Your wavy, dark brown hair. Lips always red because you always were biting on them. You feel the scar across your middle hidden under your shirt as you gaze at your reflection. You thought your ears stuck out too much, your nose too sharp, chin too square. You had tried to make yourself look better, like covering up your freckles- which you always have done since highschool-, dying part of your hair bright purple and flipping it all out of your face, getting glasses to help cover up your eyes, you got peircings on both ears to pull attention away from your ears to the earrings. Passing a hand over your face, you take a deep breath.

Your body language said that you were nervous. The teeth worrying at your lip said you were self concious. Your shifty glance said you didnt like being here. You frown at your reflection, and pull out your cover up, and begin to re-cover your freckles.

~~~~

By the time you get back downstairs, there are already some people milling about your house. About five, you think, after a quick head count. You bite your lip, and walk down the stairs.

"Hey, Eridan! Over here! Vriska here doesnt think were cousins!" Feferi calls from the living room. You softly smile, most people didnt.

"Yeah, its because your not. No way." She says, but the stranger is studying you, making you wish you could hide. But you stand there and stare at her back. Her shoulders are back, and her knees arent touching, shes a confident one. A harsh glance means attitude. Her blue eyes match her blue lipstick, eye shadow, mascara and eye liner. She wears thin framed glasses- she probably needs those to see. She has her long black hair cascading down her back.

"W-well, we are." You fight that damned nervous stutter. “Feferi is my father’s brother’s daughter’s sister." Smirking, you can see that threw her off just a bit.

"Ugh. Whatever." She gives you another once-over, then calls over your shoulder. “Ey, Terezi, come check this guy out!" Vriska pops her gum, waiting for her to come over. When she does, you can tell automatically something is off with this girl. She doesnt really _look_ , but senses. She hesistates, but then moves with swift confidence. You figure she must be blind.

"Woah, man, whos wearing so much cologne?" What? Its not you. Probably. Hopefully.

"Hey," You say, as a way of greeting. You turn to say something to Feferi, but shes not there. You bite you lip. Facing the other girls now, you look at Terezi. See-through red cat-eye glasses, a fitted hoodie and skinny jeans. She stands with her hips slightly out, and her head tipped to one side. Holy shit, you swear she just sniffed you. What the hell?

"Come on Terezi, lets roll outta this joint. Crappy place anyway," Vriska sneers, looking around. _Well, excuse me, miss picky ass,_ you want to say, but you dont. You stand in the same place as they exit the house without saying good bye. Today is going to suck tremendously.

Feferi eventually finds you again and begins you on a rapid introduction spree. You try to get names with faces, and collect as much about them as possible.

Nepeta is the short curly haired one, and she uses alot of sound effects. She seemed to always be with Equius, who was big and muscley and honsestly scared the shit out of you, even though you think he wouldnt purposely hurt anyone.

Tavros had a serious stutter and it took him a while to string together his sentences, but he seemed like a nice kid. He limped a bit, maybe he was crippled. Gamzee was always by Tavros’s side, and you couldnt tell what their relationship was. Gamzee was one strange fucker. He had paint on his face, making him look like a clown or something, you made a mental note to steer clear of him.

Mituna- Sollux’s older brother, apparently- is an adorable dork, Latula was a mouth-breather, Meulin was too much like her little sister Nepeta, Kurloz too much like his brother Gamzee. Feferi’s adopted sister, Meenah, was even there. And you swear to god she was hitting on you. Again. Your older brother even came, the douche. You almost blew a socket when you saw him swagger in the door. You hated cronus with every fiber of your being. After he stopped hitting on you and Feferi, him and Meenah left the scene arm and arm. You dont even want to _know_.

You met a lovely woman by the name of Rose, whos interest in books and kind speaking made you more comfortable around her. Gotta love those books. And patient people.

You also try to talk to Dave and John, as Feferi tells you their names, but theyre flopped on the couch, practically on top of each other, and all you hear out of their conversation is Dave saying:

"i forgot most people had parents and shit." He spoke almost directly into Johns ear.

"Yeah, except, like… batman." They lean into each other, but youre just as clueless as to what their relationship is. Probably just close friends.

"Well, yeah, and me. But, im practically batman so…" And dave is looking at john over his RayBans, stupid fucking sun glasses.

"You make a habit of picking up on young boys with black hair and blue eyes?" He laughs, and the description is true to Johns appearence. His eyes are electric blue, and his black hair sticks up in all directions, like he stuck his head in a blender. You notice he also has his arm slung around daves shoulders. Maybe theyre more than friends?

"No, you sassy little cockpunch." Dave takes John’s hand and whispers something in his ear. Whatever it was, it made John blush and Dave laugh. Okay. Way more than friends. Probably way complicated too.

By 6:30, everyone is gone except Feferi and the first three people you met in the neighborhood. Your sitting in a folding chair by the window in the living room, Karkat and Kanaya on the couch, Sollux and feferi on the love seat. Your tired of people, and you feel a little light headed. You have spoken briefly with Kanaya and Karkat earlier, but not with Sollux. Each one in turn, you look at the people sitting in the room. You notice Karkat has a habit of pushing the sleeves of his sweater up, then almost instantly pulling them down over his hands. Kanaya has perfect posture, you notice, and she rolls her eyes a lot. You skip looking at feferi, because you already know all her habits, and look at Sollux. Hes slouched into the couch, his legs streched out in front of him. His arms are crossed, and he seems to be staring into space. Hes biting his lip, and doesnt look to be moving at all except that. You wonder what hes thinking about.

"Hey, Fuckass! We’re trying to talk to you!" Karkats rough voice breaks you out of your reverie, and you blush.

"Sorry," You say, and begin to bite your lip.

"That is okay. I was just asking you- or trying to- about the reasoning behind your move to the neighborhood." Kanaya politely says.

"Oh, w-well, i used to livve," You clear your throat. God _damn_ that stupid stutter. “I used to live in the city. I moved here because one, Fef wwanted me to, two, i didnt like the city that much, three, i thought maybe if i moved out of the city, then i could focus on my art a bit more."

"That is nice! Can-" Kanaya starts.

"Oh, your _art_. Thats great. Trying to find yourself, Eridan?" Your head snaps to the source of the voice. Sollux. “How did you get lost? _Maybe if i move outta the city, into the ‘country’, i can become the bestest artist ev-ver!_ " He mimics your stutter. “Your inner artist?" He laughs.

"Sollux!" Feferi gasps, looking very shocked. Your quite shocked yourself. “That is uncalled for!"

"Oh, please. Im sure you only moved here because Daddy stopped the income, eh? Had to move to a cheaper house?" You just kind of sit there, with your mouth open. You dont know what to say. Sollux sat up, and leaned forward, only just getting started. “I bet your hipster blog followers are crying for you! Boo-hoo!" He smirks. “Fuckin hipster. Look at those glasses, and your peircings. Betcha you got a tatoo too! Something fancy writing of a quote thats deep and meaningful?" He leans back. You gape, not knowing where any of this came from. And you wish you could see his god damn eyes. Then you would know if he meant any of this or not. But judging off the tightness of his lips, he means every word.

"W-well look at you! Hiding behind those rididulous glasses ‘a yours. Blue and red. Do ya see everythin in cheap 3-d?" You quickly shoot back. You hear Feferi gasp ‘Eridan!’ but you dont care. All youre looking for right now is Solluxs reaction. His lips tighten and his fists clench. Got him.

"Well at least i can talk to people! No stutter, see?" He growls, his eyebrows furrowing. “And, by the way you were looking at me, i bet your gay. Fuckin gay, thats what you are."

Thats the last straw.

You stand, arms down, fists clenched. His smirk falters a bit, but he stands also.

"Gotta problem with the truth, ey, Gay boy?" He calmly says, quietly.

Thats it.

You bring your fist up, pull back, and punch him in the fucking face. When your knuckles meet his cheekbone, everything grows quiet for a second, and you watch almost in slow motion as he registers the blow, then falls backwards onto the couch. You hear a faint buzzing as you stare blankly at Sollux. Without another word, you spin on your heel and walk to your room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy isnt mine, im just refrencing it, and the quote Feferi says is from City of lost souls by cassandra clare, page 389.  
> this title sucks.  
> this is john and daves little convo: http://pavaal.tumblr.com/post/37240692494/im-going-to-pee (thats not my tumblr though OuO)


	3. Chapter 3

The first thing you notice about being hit in the face is that it hurts like hell.

The second thing you notice is that he wears a shit ton of rings, and when theyre smashing into your face, you can practically _feel_ your skin being shredded.

Eridan is apparently stronger than he looks, and his fist making contact with your cheekbone is enough to fling you back onto the couch behind you. You land on the couch, head filling with white static. You can see Eridan quickly walk away, and feferi’s face hovering over yours. You blink rapidly and try to clear your head.

"Sollux! Sollux, are you okay?" Feferi asks, her voice urgent and worried. You suck a deep breath in and try to nod. “Sollux, now you just sit still while we get you some ice. Okay?" She doesnt leave your side when she tells Kanaya to get you some ice out of the freezer. You space out for a second. You feel a burning cold on your face and it snaps you back to reality.

"Here, Sollux. Hold this on your face." Kanaya is guiding your slim hand up to where the ice pack rests. You grip it, and sit up. Well, Eridan hit you in the face. If that wasnt surprising enough, you think you deserved it. You did call him gay, and a whole bunch of other things. You wince. Wishing you hadnt said those things, you tally up a score in your head. Sollux- 0. Eridan-1. Oh boy. Your head aches and your face throbs. Youre lucky he missed the glasses, broken glass in the eyes would not be pleasant at all.

"Now, sollux. I cant say that you didnt completly deserve to get hit in the face. Why would you say such things?! You barely even _know_ Eridan. There is no basis to be so rude! And even if there was, it is still _very_ uncalled for!" Feferi says, disbelief coloring her tone.

"Im sorry, Feferi." You say quietly, tightening your grip on the ice pack.

She throws her arms up. “Its not _me_ you need to be apologizing to! You need to apologize to _Eridan_! And you will apologize to him, if i have to force the words out of your sorry throat!" She frowns, and her eyebrows furrow. “And i dont like what eridan did either, but you were provoking him. I just dont get it sollux, why?" You stay silent. You dont think you could really tell her why.

"Well, shit for brains, youve managed to piss off Eridan and get hit in the face within five minutes of talking to him. I applaud you." Karkat says, frowning at you. “Not that i like the guy too much, but that was actually a stupid move to make." He grunts and gestures to Kanaya. “Come on Kanaya, lets get out of here." She looks at you, as if she’s going to say something, but instead stands to walk out with Karkat. Your eyes prickle with unshed tears, but youre not going to cry. Not here, not now.

"Come on, Sollux. You are going to apologize to Eridan _right now_." Feferi roughly grips your arm and pulls you off the couch. Your leather coats lapels flap up and cover your face, but you just walk beside Feferi up to Eridans room. “Apologize, and _make it good._ " She hisses, and flings open his door. Eridan, perched in a chair at the corner of the room, jumps at the door banging open. Theres a book in his lap, and his finger keeping his place. His eyes nervously dart between you and Feferi. He chews his lip and sits up.

"So.. Feferi says i have to apologize." You shift on your feet as you tell him. You feel, rather than hear, Feferi leaning up to your ear. Her breath is warm against your neck when she tells you what to say. “And.. um.. Feferi says shes not talking to you unless you apologize too." You watch as his eyebrows furrow, and you feel mildly bad for the guy. Wasnt his fault, really.

"Apologize!" Feferi says. She pushes you into the room, and slams the door loudly behind you. You grasp the brass knob in a desperate try to escape, but it doesnt budge. Figures. That girl managed to lock the door from the outside. Sighing, you turn and sit on the floor, with your back to the door. Feeling your head start to pound with the familiar feeling of a migrane, you gently rub your temples in slow circles. You dont think you could look directly at him, so you look at the window just above his shoulder and start.

"Look, im sorry. I didnt mean all those things. I dont know you, or much about you, and i dont know why i said all those things. Ive just been going through… some things… lately, and i- i guess i just took it out on you because i dont know you. I thought I wouldnt feel bad ragging on a stranger." You dont look at him, instead pulling your legs up and resting your elbows on your knees.

"Its okay." His voice is gentle.

Its then when you look at him, confused. It is also then when you realize how attractive Eridan really is. His sharp jaw line pulls your eyes to his full lips, his high cheekbones, then to his eyes. His eyes are blue, the blue of the ocean. Hes curiously gazing back at you while you study him. Your eyes move further up his face to his hair, dark brown, with his bangs dyed royal purple. You notice his ears are peirced with a reflective purple stone. Your eyes wander back down to his eyes. Thick framed glasses cover his eyes, hiding them from your sight. You bite your lip and quickly look away.

"No, its really not okay. Im thorry." Your lisp makes a violent appearence. and you instantly cover it up and correct your self. " _S_ orry."

He grins at your slip up- the bastard. “You have a lisp?" He asks, his cheeks dimpling.

"Yes, i have a stupid fucking lisp. Just forget it." You snarl.

"Wwhy? I think its cute." You look up at him, shocked. “You shouldn’ hide it." Once again, hes grinning that dimpled grin of his. Damn it. Damn it all to hell. You stare at the floor, the wall, anywhere but him.

"Wwell, look, im sorry too." Eridan stutters. You notice the sudden seriousness, but smirk at his stutter. “I shouldn ‘ave punched you in the face." He apologizes, looking at the ice pack pushed to your face.

"I was provoking you."

"I let things get to me." He says, and stands to put the book back on the shelf.

You pause, not knowing how to respond. “Why did you let it get to you?" You finally ask, genuinely curious.

"Wwell," He says, pausing. “I guess its cause most of those things are true." Oh boy. We’re in for some real emotional shit now, arent we.

"Youre kidding."

"No. I did move for my art, thats true, but not so i could ‘find myself’. the city was too much for me. And i did have an income from my father, but soon as i moved, he stopped it." He pauses, chewing on his lip, then sits down on the blue chair again. “I do have a blog, and i guess some people would call it ‘hipster’, but i never understood that kina thing, so…" You suddenly feel really weird. There are a lot of different emotions running through your system right now, and you dont know what to do with them all. “And i do have a tattoo."

"Is it words?" You ask, smirking at him.

"Do you wanna see it?" Eridan asks, head tipped slightly to one side.

After a moments heistation, you nod. He lifts the hem of his black shirt to reveal a tattoo of a black and white seahorse, right on his ribs, underneath his arm. You study it, then you notice that hes completly ripped. Like, an eight-pack. No wonder he was so strong, he probably works out. Your eyes travel down his abdomen until you see a ragged scar running across his mid section. It looks healed, like he had gotten it when he was much younger. It doesnt look very pleasant.

"I stand corrected," You say, and you decide not to ask about the scar. He lowers his shirt again, and smirks.

"Yeah," he says. A silence follows the word. Then you remember the last thing you called him. _Gay boy_.

"Eridan? The one thing you didnt confirm or deny was when i called you gay. Are you?" You watch in mild facination as his back stiffens.

"Wwell, uh…" His cheeks turn a bright red color. “Um, yeah, i am." He starts to figet, twisting one of the rings perched on his fingers.

"Oh." You bite your lip. This makes things complicated. You dont really prefer guys or girls, you just go for who ever. So that leaves you _possibly_ crushing on a guy who could _possibly_ like you back. Ohhhhh man. Head pounding even more, you sigh and close your eyes, rubbing at your temple again. Eyes now open, you shift, and take the ice pack away from your face. Eridan winces. “Is it that bad?" You ask, gesturing to your face.

"I dont know. Im jus’ really, really sorry. I mean, it looks swollen…" He pushes his lips together.

"Can i ask you one more thing, Eridan?" You say. He pauses, considering.

"Only if you ask it with your lisp." He replies, a flash of white teeth as he smiles again.

"Seriou-"

"I wwasnt kidding." Eridan says, crossing his arms.

"Ugh." you pause, and try to relax into your lisp again. Its not like you really want to, but Eridan seems like the stubborn type. Whatever. “Fine. Tho, i did notice you tharing at me, what wath that all about?" You frown, you hate your fucking lisp, it makes you sound stupid. He smiles, cheeks dimpling again.

"Wwell, if you must know, i study people. Dont take it the wwrong way, im not a fuggin creeper or anythin." He runs a hand through his hair, making it stick up in little waves. Hes not looking at you, hes looking at the ground. “I like to know wwhat habits people have. I can read people, know their emotions, and how they feel. Beacuse, you knoww, body language. Yeah." He shifts awkwardly, as if this is a big deal.

"What about me? What are you getting from me?" You simply look at him, waiting for his response.

He softly hums under his breath for a second, finally looking at you. “Wwell, i can tell you either dont like me, or bein’ here, cause your slightly turned away from me. And you keep rubbin on your temples, so maybe i punched you hard enough to give you a headache. The fact that your wwearin a leather jacket in May shows either you have no temperature sense or your hidin’ or coverin yourself up. You have a habit of bitin your lip, and i noticed that there was a spot of somethin on your sleeve. On that same arm, you keep pullin the sleeve down over your hand, like you dont want me to see somethin. Thats all i can really tell without seein your eyes…" He trails off. Eridan starts to blush, and turns his head away from you.

"What? Why’d you stop?"

"Im rambling." He mumbles.

"No, no, your okay. I mean, its just a bit weird, but youre fine." He looks at you again.

"Wwhy do you hide your eyes?" You dont want answer him. Touchy topic.

"No reason." You say, hoping he’ll just drop it.

"Will you take off your glasses?"

"No." Your headache starts to press against your forehead, a dull pressure that makes you dizzy. You have to leave now.

"Why not?" He watches you as you stand, and try the door again. This time it opens, and you step out of the room, without another word towards eridan.

~ Eridans pov~

After Sollux abruptly leaves, you head downstairs to find Feferi. You find her in the kitchen, sitting at the table, with a very thoughtful look on her face. When you walk in the door she frowns.

"Wwell, i apologized." You say, and take a seat beside her.

"Good." Shes trying to look mad at you, but you can see shes failing miserably. “Wait, if you _did_ apologize, why did Sollux storm out like that?" Feferi asks, one eye brow raised over her thick glasses.

"I guess its because i asked him to take off his glasses." She stiffens. “Wwhat? What is it?"

"Oh, nothing," Feferi dismisses the thought with a wave of her hand. “Just dont ask him again, okay?" She gives you a small smile, and stands to leave. You accompany her to the door, and on the way out she says, “Oh, and im giving Sollux your number, alright?" Feferi giggles and walks out. You can feel your lips pulling into a frown as you close the door behind her. Feferi decides a lot more than youd like in your life.

You flop down on the couch in the front room, and stare blankly out the window. What if he texts you now?

_______

It wasnt until a couple days later, though, that sollux texted you. You were eating some toast for breakfast when your slim white phone chimed. To be completely honest, it scared the living shit out of you and you almost dropped your toast, but you managed to save it before it hit the ground. You shove another bite in your mouth and go to check your phone.

New message: Unknown number

So feferi did give me your cell number, hope you know that

Right away you know its Sollux, and you quickly send back a reply.

You: Yeah, i guess she did.

You enter the number in your contacts, and finish off the toast on the way upstairs to your room.

Sollux: I just thought i should tell you

Sollux: Make sure you knew

You: Thanks for the heads up

Sollux: Yeah anytime

Smirking, you put the phone down on your desk in your room. You open up your well-loved laptop, and open a new browser tab. You quickly log onto your beloved blog, and check your inbox. You smile at the few anon messages. You really liked getting messages, anon or not. Typing out a long response to each one, you quietly mutter the words youre typing under your breath. Youre so concentrated that when your phone chimes again, you jump about six feet in the air. After you calm down, you reach for the phone and see that its Sollux.

Sollux: So, what are you doing

You: Im on my blog. What about you?

Sollux: Coding and hacking

You would have never guessed it. Coding is hard, and for people who have skill in that said area are the only ones who can to it properly.

You: Hacking into what?

Sollux: Oh anything really

You: hm. Thats interesting.

Sollux: Do you doubt me

You: maybe, maybe not.

Sollux: just for that im going to find and hack your blog

You: What? No!

Sollux: Too late

Sollux: You doubted the hacker of all hackers

Sollux: And you will take what comes to you

You: Sollux, what are you doing?

Theres no response.

You bite your lip and put your phone down. You hit the ‘answer’ button on the message to the anon, and go check your front page. It doesnt seem like hes found it yet. You dont really want him on your blog, its actually pretty personal. But it seems you have unleashed the wrath of the hacker, so you gotta ‘take what comes to you’. You guess. Whatever. You turn away from the computer in your office chair and stare at the wall. When your phone chimes again, you slide if off the desk and check the screen, still facing away from your computer.

Sollux: man you put your skype up here?

You: Yeah, why?

Sollux: Never do that. because now i can hack into your basic mainframe on your laptop

You: what?!

Sollux: Im just kidding, i wouldnt do that

You: Good..

Sollux: but i am going to add you on skype.

You: whatever.

true to his word, your skype suddenly emits the familiar sound of someone video calling you. You spin around, and after a moment, click answer. Theres a burst of static as your computers connect and then you hear him laughing.

"Dude, your blog is _so_ hipster!" He cackles.

"Do you gotta problem with it, Sollux?" You snarl, but youre laughing too; His laugh is a bit contageous.

"Theres so much personal information here! How are you not being stalked, for crying out loud!" He laughs, leaning foward, as if to read words on his screen. You notice that his face hasnt healed much, and theres a little scratch mark right below the edge of his glasses. “Look, ‘Hi, im eridan, 22, my skype is below, friend me if you want! I live in the city…’. God! Eridan! you just dont to that!" hes got this shit eating grin on his face, and you cant but help to smile too.

"well im just bein friendly, theres nothin wrong wwith that!"

"You might as well say, Heres where i live, come find me!" He pulls back from his screen and hes still laughing, his shoulders shaking.

"Oh come on, sollux, i dont get whats so funny! Its just my blog!" You say, a faint blush dusting your cheeks. “And there isnt _that_ much information…"

He calms down after a moment, and with this huge grin on his face, tells you you to go check your blog. Youre painfully aware that his face is still a bit swollen where you hit him, but you qiuckly refresh your page and stare at the horror of your blog.

The color scheme is changed to yellow and black with bright white accents. Little bees are moving up and down in the background, and you feel slightly nauseated.

"Bees, sollux? _bees?!_ " But youre laughing softly to yourself. Youre scrolling up and down your dash, and 90% of what youre seeing has a bee theme one way or another. “Sollux, change it back! This is repulsive!"

You hear his feigned gasp, then a chuckle. “Whats wrong with beeth?" He coughs. “Bees."

"Oh come on, i knoww you gotta lisp. Dont hide it. I dont try to hide my stutter, do i?" You think his lisp is cute. But, you hate your sutter probably just as much as he hates his lisp.

"Well im going to hide it and you cant stop me." He says crossly, his lips tugging downwards.

"What if-"

"Theres _nothing_ you can do. I hate my lisp. It makes me sound stupid, okay?" You blink at his sudden feirceness, and you can feel your smirk slip just the slightest.

"Alright, alright, wwhatevver you say." You can feel an uncomfortable silence fall between you. You are determined to not become the person who doesnt talk to anyone in this neighborhood, and you make an attempt to keep the conversation going. “Hey, um, Sollux. Why’d you pick bees?"

He pauses for a moment, clearly not expecting the question. “Oh. Well, actually, when i was a kid, i really liked bees for some reason. I think its because my mom got me a…" He takes a deep breath, then releases it in a loud sigh. “My mom got me a big stuffed bee one year for the holidays. I loved it so much. I literally drug it around with me everywhere. After a while, it fell apart and i had to get rid of it." Hes softly smiling as he speaks. You can hear the faint click of his mouse as he talks, and you laugh slighly at the story.

"sounds cute, sollux. A huge stuffed bee, making wway for future bee obession." You giggle.

"Oh, shut up, nimrod. I could leave your blog like this, you know." The smile is gone from his face, replaced by a small frown.

"Okay, okay, geeze. I was just kiddin, im sorry." You say. Touchy. Refreshing your blog, you see that Sollux has changed it back. You say nothing, and for another moment, the conversation has died. You briefly think about making some exuse so you can hang up, but then decide against it. Instead, you decide to make use of the silence, and stand and collect some art supplies. When you sit back down, you have your small sketchbook, a mechanical pencil, a couple of erasers and your small pack of colored pencils.

"What are you doing?" Sollux asks.

You bite your lip and hope youre not being rude somehow. “I wwas just gonna flip through my sketchbook. Maybe doodle a bit." He nods, and resumes his frantic clicking. You give a half shrug and turn through the pages of your worn and loved sketchbook. Its a red hard-cover, bound like a book. You have had it for a couple of months, and its the small portable sketchbook you can take with you everywhere. You open to a clean page, trying to think of something, anything to draw. You pick up a pencil and tap it against your lip.

"What are you thinking about?" Sollux asks, and he tips his head up a bit, presumably toward the little box where the video feed was. Hes biting at the edge of his lip. You tear your gaze away from the blank page and look at your screen.

"Uh, I dunno what to doodle."

"Doodle? Isnt the definition of doodle, like, to aimlessly draw?" He points out.

"Wwell, yeah, but, like, i dunno. Its jus’ better, i guess, to know wwhat the you want the end product to look like. I dun’ even have a topic to doodle about." You say, pulling your hands up in a shrug. Sollux pauses, thinking.

"Draw me," He finally says.

"No," You say instantly. “I dont really do that, and i dont know if you-"

"Just do it. You dont even have to show me the end result."

"Sol-"

"You asked, and i answered. Just do it, okay? Its not a big deal." His voice has a tone of finalty to it and you decide not to argue with him about it. Glancing down at your paper, you quickly sketch out a circle. Soon after that the basic face shape, and so on. You kind of zone out, only paying attention to the pencil on white paper, occasionally erasing some misplaced lines.

"Hey. Hey, Eridaaan!" Sollux calls. You realize hes probably been saying your name for a little while. You feel your cheeks heat up in a flush and clear your throat before answering him.

"yeah? Uh, sorry, i was kinda zoned out…" He isnt mad though, hes smiling.

"Its no problem. I just wanted to know if any of your art is up on your blog. Id like to check it out, if thats alright." You nod.

"Yeah, its um," Um. Youre soooo smart. “If you type in my blog name with a slash, jus’ add ‘tagged’ slash ‘my art’ after it. If that makes sense." You can hear his keyboard clicking and clacking as he types it in.

"Yeah, i got it."

"Alright." You wait a moment, seeing if hes going to say anything else, before returning to your small sketch. Youve cleaned it up, and now youre adding simple shading to it.

"Wow, eridan. These are really good." He says softly.

"Eh, i dont think they are all that good…" You say, shrugging, knowing your face is probably heating up.

"No, Eridan. These are like, what the fuck good. How did you get to this skill level? And your paintings.." You bite your lip and just kind of sit there like a big bashful dummy. “I didnt think you were gonna be this good." You just kinda wanna say, how good did you think i was gonna be?, but you dont, you dont know how he would take it.

"Wwell, i try…" You big bashful dumbdumb. Dumb dumb dumb dumb shit hes talking again.

"Obviouthly you do a good job!" He pauses, looking a bit closer at his screen. You did notice the lisp but you dont say anything, just smirk the slightest. “I really like your sketches. Theyre a lot more… energetic, i guess, than your other more finished stuff."

You are still sitting there like a big dumbdumb.

"Eridan?" He says. You think… you think if you open your mouth your gonna start blubbering or something. You clear your throat and try to calmly speak.

"yeah, sorry. I guess im jus’ not used to people complimentin my art…" You manage to stutter your way though that sentence.

"What? Why not?"

"Ive nevver really been liked for bein an artist.." The mood turns as you try to avoid the backstory.

"Whys that?" He seems legitimatly concerned, but it looks like the avoiding didnt work.

"Wwell, my brother Cro…" You bite your lip. “Hes a big jackass and i refuse to talk ‘bout him so no. I jus’ wasnt appreciated. And a lot of people jus’ wwrite me off as yet another obvviously cliche artist." You run a hand up over your face, rubbing your eyes beneath your glasses.

"Why are you cliche?"

"Thats a story for another time, Sollux." You say, speaking from behind your hand. It feels like everytime you and Sollux talk, one of you remembers some tragic thing or doesnt want to talk about something. And youve only talked, like three times. This is going to be a complicated thing if you keep talking to him at all. “Listen, Sol. I gotta go. Later." You click the end call button and just stare at the screen for a second. When sollux messages you a few seconds later under the user name _t_ _winArmageddons_ \- which you find strange- the messages say this:

TA: alright i guess.

TA: later.

And then you minimize the window and walk away from the computer, sketch book in hand.

Sketching never hurt anyone, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes eridan has a tumblr  
> why the hell wouldnt eridan have a tumblr


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Boring things happen and they go to lunch

When eridan abruptly hangs up on you, you try to end it on a good note. You shoot a message to his now offline person, and then minimize the chat window. You lean back in your chair and squint at your screen, then take off your bi-colored glasses and place them on the desk thats supporting the computer. You had only put them on for the call, purposely hiding your eyes from eridan. You just didn’t want him to see your eyes. You sigh, rubbing your hands over your face.

 

The reasoning behind hiding your eyes from eridan was the fact that you were blind. Well, blind only in one eye. You can see out of your good eye-the left one- and although you needed glasses to see clearly, you can manage. You have two pairs of glasses, one your classic bi-colored pair, and a simple black framed pair that you tend to wear around the house, and with select people. Those people already knowing you were blind. Come to think of it, Eridan is the only one who doesnt know youre blind, and you plan to keep it that way as long as possible. Thats basically the reason youre hiding your eyes from him, a childish, stupid reason. But a reason all the same.

 

With a sigh, you push away from the desk, taking the phone from its perch on top of your speakers and sliding it into your pocket. You head out of your room, towards the kitchen. Your stomach is protesting at the current lack of food. The fridge has nothing to offer, nor the cabinets, nor the freezer. Making a mental note to head to the store soon, you pull the peanut butter out of the cabinet and a spoon out of the drawer, scooping the peanut butter right into your mouth. Most people didnt understand how you just could eat it like that, but its not like you cared. You guess peanut butter will have to be lunch today.

 

The preset chime of your phone going off in your back pocket tells you Feferi is texting you, and you set the peanut butter jar down to answer it. The spoon is still in your mouth as you read the text: Hi, Sollux! Me and Eridan are going out to get lunch at a cute little restaurant, would you like to come with us? it would be great a great opportunity for you and eridan to really get to know each other!! :D

Remembering back to the skype call you and eridan just had, you wonder if Feferi asked Eridan if it was okay for you to join. Eridan might possibly still be pissed at you, for some unknown reason, and you dont want him to get irritated if you show up.  

You take the spoon out of your mouth and set it in the sink, swallowing the last bit of peanut butter as you reply.

 

~~~Eridans POV~~~

"So Fef, is Sollux comin?" You ask, sliding your favorite purple hoodie over your head.

Feferi nods, smiling, and looks at the screen of her phone again. "Yeah, sollux replied with, If its alright with the both of you i think i might take you up on that offer. Then i told him to meet us at the resturant! He said he'd be there. Isnt that great!?" She giggles. You nod. You were actually kind of looking forwards to it. It would be really nice to make new friends, and sollux would fall into that 'new friend' category, even though you two didnt start off very well. Hes already friends with Feferi, so he cant be that bad.

"You almost ready?" You ask, sliding your wallet into your back pocket. You run a hand through your hair in an effort to push the strays out of your face, fingers getting caught on the tangles in your wavy hair.

"Yeah, im driving right?" Feferi replies, tucking the mass of her curly brown hair into a ponytail.

"ha. hah hah. No. Im drivin. That way we wont get pulled over and arrested." You grin at Feferi, who sticks her tounge out at you.

"Fine then, Fish-face. just make sure we make it to the resturant before sollux does! He doesnt like being alone in public like that. You know. waiting for someone? its awkward." She smiles at you, and you cant help but to smile back, and nod.

"Yeah, i know." You have had your share of experiences like that, those awkward minutes of standing there alone, biting your lip and trying to make it look like you belong there. You try to avoid them if you can.

As you walk out the front door, Feferi right behind you, she gets a text from sollux. She reads it out loud as you walk to the car and get in.

"Ill be there soon, what about you guys?’" You start the car and head off. From the corner of your eye you see her replying, her eyes focused on her phone. Youre there within a matter of minutes.

 

~Solluxs pov~

 

You walk into the restaurant, looking for Eridan and Feferi. You slowly wander through the aisles until you see them sitting in the window booth right in front of you.

“Hi guys,” you say, smiling, as you approach the booth, quickly deciding to sit next to feferi, placing you and her across from Eridan.

“Hi Sollux! Im glad you made it! Its a good chance for you and Eridan to get over the little… incident you two had.” Awkwardly glancing over at eridan, you bring your fingers up to your face right below your right eye, where a little red bruise resides. Hastily, you bring your fingers down. “Im sure you guys would be good friends!” Feferi says in a confident tone. You stare hard at the table, like it owes you money. Yeah, you think, im sure we would be friends. Maybe more than that if i had my way…

You look up at Eridan again. Hes sitting just opposite feferi, close to the window. His eyes are trained on Feferi; hes not exactly avoiding your gaze, but hes not meeting it either.

“Oh, guys, what do you want to eat? Ill order for you both.” Feferi looks at you and Eridan expectantly. Eridan tells her “the usual”, whatever that is, and you just tell her to get you whatever looks good. You slide out of the booth so Feferi can pass. When you sit back down you can feel the tension slowly building between you and Eridan.

He speaks first: “Erm, sorry for hanging up on you earlier. Its just… family is a, um, touchy subject for me.”

“Noted,” you assure him. “I wont ask again.” At least, you’ll try not to. Silence falls again, and trying to quickly get rid of it, you look out the window. “You guys messaged me at the right time. When i got Feferi’s text, i was eating peanut butter for lunch.” You say, laughing awkwardly. why you told him that, you dont know. You turn away from the window just in time to catch the small grin that passes over Eridans lips, which puts you more at ease.

“Straight outta the jar?” He grins.

“With a spoon,” you nod. Eridan laughs, and thats definitely a sound you want to hear again. “if you guys hadnt asked me to lunch thats all i wouldve eaten.”

“Glad to be of service, sollux.” You smile, and he finally looks you in the eyes. Or what could be considered your eyes. The red and blue glasses settled on your face provide a barrier that prevents you and him really making eye contact. Your smile fades, and you stare down at the table again.

Part of you wants to stop being a baby, and just take off the stupid glasses, who cares? The other part of you is saying, holy crap keep them on dont make eye contact you know what happened last time, to stay safe. Your safe side wins out. As it always does.

Keeping your face angled at the table, you glance up at eridan out of the corner of your eye. Hes still really attractive, damn. Hes staring off to where feferi is ordering the food, his long fingers twisting a ring on his index finger. The ring sparkles in the sunlight coming in through the window.

“Hey, um, eridan. Can I see that ring?” He looks over at you, and holds up his hands, the smooth back of his hands facing you.

“Which one?” He smiles. You knew he wore rings -you felt them when he punched you- but you didnt know how many he wore. There was a ring on almost every finger. They were assorted colors, some with jewels, others simple bands. The one that caught your eye was on his left index finger; it was a simple silver band.

You lift your hand, “May I?”, and after he nods, take off the silver band. At a closer look, you realize its engraved in the middle, a thin line separating it into two. You decide you like it. You slip in back onto his finger, and he sets his hands back on the table.

“Feferi gavve that to me for my birthday one year.” He smiles fondly at it. Its almost too cute for you to handle. God damn it, you think. Gotta stop thinking like that. At random, you point to his hands resting on the table, touching the little ring on his left pinkie finger.

“What about this one?” You ask, wondering if there was a story for each ring.

“Oh, uh, I got that one at a garage sale. It was kinda gross but I took it home and cleaned it up.” It was a gold-colored ring with a zig-zag shape. You move your finger from his pinkie, passing over his ring finger and onto his middle finger.

“I dont wwear a ring on my left ring finger. Least not yet.” You realize hes talking about how he hasnt found someone to give him a wedding ring. Oh. Quickly you ask him about the one on his middle finger- a ring with a purple stone set in the middle.

“This one i bought on random. It just looked really nice, and it was worth the pretty penny i spent on it.” You dont think youve bought anything worth a pretty penny. Maybe a used hard drive, once. You realized youre smiling slightly, because of the fact Eridan practically collects rings. Youd bet hes got a lot more at his house.

“I got the food guys!” Feferi says loudly, and you pull your hand quickly away from eridan. Thankfully she doesnt notice. Feferi sets down Eridans plate first, then yours, then sits down with hers.

Your plate, strangely enough, is actually a basket of cheese covered nachos. Eridans is a grilled cheese sandwich and feferis is a big heaping salad.

Youre kind of glad you ended up with the nachos.

Eridan and Feferi strike up a conversation, and you easily stay out of it. Mainly theyre talking about things that wouldve only made sense if you had been there. Lots of inside jokes.

Instead of actually paying attention to what theyre saying, you decide to just look at eridan. He is still really attractive, but that shouldnt surprise you, its not like his attractiveness is going to wear off or anything. Under his glasses his eyes are still a brilliant blue, flecked with bits of green. His hair looks a bit messy today, but youre not complaining, its looks good ruffled and wavy. Theres a lock of purple hair that refuses to stay brushed back, so instead it dangles above his forehead. When he smiles his dimples make a dramatic comeback on his freckled cheeks.

Gosh. Hes cute.

Its several minutes after all of you finish eating that you are pulled back into the conversation.

“Oh, Im sorry Sollux! Weve been chatting away without you!” Feferi apologizes. You shrug, its fine. “We can talk about something you like now. OoooHH!!” Feferi snaps her fingers a couple of times, shaking her hand vigorously.  “What about your video games?! Mine Crafting?”

You smile. “Minecraft, FF. I play Minecraft.”

“YES! That one!! You were telling me it updated, yes?” She prompts, turning a bit in her seat to face you. Eridan is paying attention too, and you get a little flustered with all the attention on you, but its video games. Its not hard to talk about video games.

“uh, yeah, a little while ago. They added horses, and i checked it out. It was actually pretty cool!” Are you getting excited? Maybe. Yes.

“Horses?” Eridan hesitantly asks.

“Oh, well see, its a big deal because its not a really advanced game, i guess. there was a mod- sorry, a modification to the game that allowed you to have horses, but they just finally allowed it to be part of the game. You get to tame them and then put the little saddle on em and you can ride them! They added little bales of hay and everything.”

“Oh, alright.” Eridan slowly says.

“If i could show it to you it would make more sense.” You tell him offhandedly.

“Wwell, im not doin anything tomorrow, you could show me then.”

Did he just. Casually do that.

“Okay,” you nod. You bite your lip. “you can come to my house and Ill show you.” Aaaand its a date. Except its not. Definitely not a date.

Feferi is grinning, and its not a grin you particularly like.

But Eridan is coming over to your house tomorrow, and you are excited.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS A LAME CHAPTER AND IM SORRY it was rushed :C
> 
> Im sorry for switching back and forth between Eridans POV and Solluxs POV so much (>_


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